-white beard and
such broad shoulders and chest that in the wood, where there was no one
to compare him with, he did not look particularly tall, so well
proportioned were his powerful limbs. He wore a tattered coat and, over
the bands with which his legs were swathed, sandals made of undressed
deer's hide tied on with strings; while on his head he had a rough
little white cap. He carried over one shoulder a screen to hide behind
when shooting pheasants, and a bag containing a hen for luring hawks,
and a small falcon; over the other shoulder, attached by a strap, was a
wild cat he had killed; and stuck in his belt behind were some little
bags containing bullets, gunpowder, and bread, a horse's tail to swish
away the mosquitoes, a large dagger in a torn scabbard smeared with old
bloodstains, and two dead pheasants. Having glanced at the cordon he
stopped.

'Hy, Lyam!' he called to the dog in such a ringing bass that it awoke
an echo far away in the wood; and throwing over his shoulder his big
gun, of the kind the Cossacks call a 'flint', he raised his cap.

'Had a good day, good people, eh?' he said, addressing the Cossacks in
the same strong and cheerful voice, quite without effort, but as loudly
as if he were shouting to someone on the other bank of the river.

'Yes, yes. Uncle!' answered from all sides the voices of the young
Cossacks.

'What have you seen? Tell us!' shouted Uncle Eroshka, wiping the sweat
from his broad red face with the sleeve of his coat.

'Ah, there's a vulture living in the plane tree here, Uncle. As soon as
night comes he begins hovering round,' said Nazarka, winking and
jerking his shoulder and leg.

'Come, come!' said the old man incredulously.

'Really, Uncle! You must keep watch,' replied Nazarka with a laugh.

The other Cossacks began laughing.

The wag had not seen any vulture at all, but it had long been the
custom of the young Cossacks in the cordon to tease and mislead Uncle
Eroshka every time he came to them.

'Eh, you fool, always lying!' exclaimed Lukashka from the tower to
Nazarka.

Nazarka was immediately silenced.

'It must be watched. I'll watch,' answered the old man to the great
delight of all the Cossacks. 'But have you seen any boars?'

'Watching for boars, are you?' said the corporal, bending forward and
scratching his back with both hands, very pleased at the chance of some
distraction. 'It's abreks one has to hunt here and not boars! You've
not heard anythi